Democratic Republic of Leeds
This page is about the country that will cease to exist from midnight on 1 October 2014. For the region of Newleaf Island, please 'click here. This message will be removed in early October. Thankyou.'' The 'Democratic Republic of Leeds '(commonly known as '''Leeds) is a sovereign state located on Newleaf Island in the Celtic Sea in northwest Europe. Founded in 1867, the Democratic Republic of Leeds will cease to exist from midnight on 1 October 2014. Leeds is located on the southern coastline of Newleaf Island, a landmass off the western coasts of the United Kingdom and southern parts of the Republic of Ireland. The island is located off the northwestern coast of Europe. Leeds has one land border - with the United Kingdom, who own the rest of Newleaf Island (except for Home), to the north, east, and west. Apart from this land border Leeds is surrounded by the Celtic Sea to the south. Leeds is a federal state. The central government is a democratic republic with a parliamentary system, with its seat of government being located in the capital Leedstown, in Downtown Leeds. Leeds is a developed country and has one of the world's largest economies by both nominal GDP and purchasing power parity. It was one of the first industrialised countries. Leeds is a great power, with significant influence in economic, cultural, military, scientific, and political situations. Leeds is a permanent member of the United Nations, United Nations Security Council, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the G7, the G8, the G20, NATO, the OECD, and the World Trade Organisation. As a former part of the United Kingdom, it is also a part of the Commonwealth of Nations. As well as this, it is now a recognised and trusted nuclear weapons state and it's military expenditure is one of the highest in the world, thus making it have a very large and strong army. History Roman settlements The first settlement on the site of Leeds to be founded was a Roman town on the Celtic Sea coast called Liodis. Founded in AD 45, it grew to become a minor town. By 149, it had grew to a small town of 5,000 inhabitants. However, most people fled the city after a great fire destroyed 95% of Liodis in 201; the site laid abandoned for several years before a second Roman city, the similarly named Leodisi, was built on the same site. Leodisi was more successful, growing to become an important trading town and fort with a population of 70,000 people. However, after 362 the population steadily declined following a series of major fires and riots. The city was 70% destroyed in a series of fires caused by popular revolts amongst the townspeople between the years 369 and 380, before the town was finally destroyed and abandoned in a massive volcanic eruption, believed to be from Mount Trident, in 382. Remains of Leodisi can be seen today at Orevale Crags. Modern Leeds - Irish era Over 800 years later, settlers from Holland founded a town called Raburnfeld (not to be confused with the current constituency Raeburnfield) on the same site. Raburnfeld was founded in 1184, and quickly the town grew to a population of 3,500. The Battle of Raburnfeld, between Irish and Dutch forces, took place in 1199 and saw the Irish emerge victorious. The Irish were now in control of the area, and gave it the name Leeds (eight years, it must be noted, ''before ''the same name was given to a town in West Yorkshire by the English!). The Irish expanded the town hugely, making it one of the largest cities in Ireland with a population of 50,000. However, the invasion of the English and their subsequent victory in the Battle of Leeds in 1421 ended two-hundred-and-twenty-two years of Irish rule. English/British era In the 1420s and 1430s, 80% of the Irish population of Leeds fled back to Ireland, and were replaced by 70,000 settlers, mainly from Wales. This is why to this day, people from Leeds have what is usually described as a Welsh accent. It also meant that for the first time since the Roman period, the dominant language spoken in Leeds was not English - for around 40 years, it was Welsh. However, the English warlords who controlled Leeds forced everyone to learn English from the year 1460 onwards, and the Welsh language died out in the city - but the Welsh accent did not, as we can see to this day. For a 200 year period throughout the late 1400s right through to the late 1600s, Leeds struggled to grow as it was struck with the same turmoil as the rest of England - the sporadic civil wars from the War of the Roses through to the Third English Civil War. Although there was not much fighting in Leeds itself, the fallout from the wars in England lead to growth levels being extremely poor. To make matters worse, the city was ravaged by the bubonic plague between 1664 and 1667 which is believed to have killed 17,500 people, or a quarter of the population at that time. At the start of the 18th century, an influx of settlers raised the town's population to 100,000 by 1707. However yet again the city was gripped by panic in 1714 after a series of wildfire-started fires destroyed 5% of the city's buildings. Following the fires, rumours quickly spread amongst those made homeless by the fires that they had been started deliberately by French and Dutch people, and during the rebellion which followed, all foreigners were forced out of the country and an increasing anti-monarchy sentiment was forming - which would eventually lead to Leedsian independence. In the late 1700s through the early 1800s, Leeds was calm and peaceful, and had a gigantic boom in population. Despite several devastating outbreaks of cholera in the city between 1799 and 1803 which killed upwards of 30,000 people, the population proceeded to reach 1 million inhabitants by 1851. Leeds Wars of Independence On 19 April 1858, an incident took place which would change Leeds forever. Rumours got out that a British policeman had beaten 15 black residents to death for no apparent reason. This instantly fueled race riots where black inhabitants attacked whites, before both black and white joined forces to fight together for independence. After initially dying down, the independence movement gathered strength again and in 1864, the Leedsian movement had advanced so far as to include a makeshift army. On 29 October 1864, that army officially released a declaration of war on the United Kingdom. The Leeds Wars of Independence were a mixed affair. Up until the Battle of the Celtic Sea in December 1865, the British forces were winning the first war. However, said battle turned out to be a major turning point in the war. Makeshift Leedsian warships were sent out to engage British warships that were heading for Leeds to, as the British said, "finish them off". The Leeds Navy used tactics similar to those used by the English with the Spanish Armada in 1588 - relying on the bad weather at the time, they sent burning ships towards the British; not only did this make them scatter and easy to pick off one-by-one, but it also caused a communications breakdown which revealed a lot of top-secret war information to those in Leeds, so that they now knew what the British plans were. That battle proved decisive in the war. Although there were a few British victories in 1866, the rebels managed to take control of the entire area in and around Leeds - except for Fort Victory. Leeds forces had been firing on the fort and trying to break it down since 1864, but as the commander of the army said at the time, "they could not crack the nut". However, Leeds' army laid siege to the fort for several weeks starting in January 1867, before launching a suprise attack on the fort on 22 February 1867. Catching the British forces off-guard, the Leedsians killed many of the British forces before setting the makeshift fort on fire, completely destroying it and forcing the final British forces out of Leeds. On 23 February 1867, the British formally surrendered and invited the Leedsians to enter peace talks. Talks were originally going well, but they broke down in April 1867 after the British refused to allow Leedsian independence - widespread protests took place in the streets of Leeds, and the British Army were put on standby on the British mainland ready to be sent to "re-invade" at any time. War briefly broke out again as Leedsian forces invaded Land's End and the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall on 1 May 1867, threatening to "march on to London". British forces, however, swiftly forced the Leedsians out of Cornwall and back to Leeds, and called Leeds back to the peace talks. Leedsian forces agreed to a ceasefire to end the War of Independence for good, with the promise that Leeds would be given "more power to control itself". Leeds was declared an "autonomous province of the United Kingdom" on 14 June 1867, however this wasn't seen as enough and violent protests broke out the next day across Leeds, with Leedsian systematically capturing and lynching every British policeman they saw, leading to the British Army once again being deployed on the streets, which lead to the Leedsian Independence Army being deployed on the streets as well. The two armies once again began fighting each other, causing the Third Leeds War of Independence. The Third War would be the turning point in the conflict. Both sides went into the war wanting to "end it once and for all". There were a series of undecisive battles until the Battle of Raeburnfield on 1 July 1867. This was the moment when the Leedsians truly won it. The complacent British went into the battle with not much training, thinking that they could beat the Leedsians easily. In an astonishing show of force, the Leedsians won the battle after only sixteen minutes. The British retreated north to Porttown, where they fled back to the mainland. Afterwards, the Leedsians threatened to invade the rest of Animal Crossing Island, and provide support to the Homian independence movement which was also starting to grow. Due to the dramatic defeat at Raeburnfield and these substantial threats, the British once again surrended and called the Leedsians back to the peace talks. After just a couple of weeks of talks, and fearing another costly war, the British granted independence to Leeds on 31 July 1867. To this day, Independence Day is celebrated on 31 July. Post-independence, pre-war period In 1869, Leeds held it's first ever general election, won by the Republican Party. Elections have been held every four years, mostly, ever since. In 1870, Leeds formally apologised to the United Kingdom for "all the death and destruction they caused" during the wars of independence. The apology was gratefully accepted by the UK, and Leeds and the UK became great allies, which they remain to this day. Other than Home, the UK remain Leeds' greatest ally. First & Second World War Post-war to the present day Geography Leeds is mainly flat, with some hills sweeping diagonally through the north and east of Inner Leeds. This range of hills, called the Cola Hills, is a continuation of the volcanic mountain range to the north which includes the likes of Mount Meridian, although the Cola Hills have been extinct for many hundreds of thousands of years, unlike their northern counterparts. The Cola Hills make the suburbs of Cola Hills, Pine Forest, and Saltburn Heights notably hillier than the rest of Leeds. The highest point in Inner Leeds, at 640 metres above sea level, is Mount Cola, a large hill in Cola Hills that is a bit like Table Mountain in South Africa as it has a flat top. As a result, the top of Mount Cola was chosen for the site of the new Leeds Transport Museum when it was built. Outer Leeds is notably more mountainous. A small range of rolling hills continues north out of Cola Hills up the north of Outer Leeds, where it meets the volcanically active section of the mountain range - the Leeds Highlands. The Highlands include many active volcanoes such as Mount Meridian and Mount Trident, and also include the highest point in Leeds as well as Europe, at 6,041m (nearly 20,000 feet) - Mount Leeds. Climate Leeds' climate varies wildly. In Highland Outer Leeds, the climate is one of Alpine Tundra. This means that temperatures rarely rise above freezing, averaging 5°F (-15°C) in winter and 30°F (-1°C) in summer. Precipitation is scarce, as clouds are blocked by the mountains, forming a semi-arid climate. This climate sees a permafrost layer of up to 5 metres thick in winter, and precipitation falls almost exclusively as snow, even in the height of summer. In non-Highland Outer Leeds, the climate is one of flat Marine West Coast. This means that prevailing westerly winds bring milder ocean air ashore. As a result, sunny days are limited and precipitation is common. Most precipitation falls as rain but can fall as snow between November and April. This climate support extensive forests of cypress trees. The average precipitation is between 2 to 5 inches per month year-round. The average daytime temperature is around 37°F (3°C) in winter and 60°F (16°C) in summer. In Cola Hills, Diplomatic City, and Pine Forest, the climate is one of hilly Continental Cool Summer. This means that average summer temperatures are cool and average winter temperatures may be below freezing. Precipitation mainly falls as rain but can fall as snow between October and May. This climate did support large pine forests but it has been largely replaced with peach or oak plantations. The average precipitation is between 1 and 3 inches per month year-round. The average daytime temperature is around 18°F (-8°C) in winter and 60°F (16°C) in summer. In Downtown Leeds, the climate is one of flat Continental Warm Summer. This means that average temperatures vary a lot between months, and rainfall is relatively high. Precipitation mainly falls a rain but can fall as snow between December and February. The average precipitation is between 2 and 4 inches per month year-round. The average daytime temperature is around 25°F (-4°C) in winter and 75°F (24°C) in summer. In Clearwater, the climate is one of flat Mediterranean. This means that average temperatures are high in summer and cool (not cold) in winter, with the summer being very dry. Precipitation falls almost exclusively as rain. The average precipitation is around 2 inches per month between October and March and only a negligible amount in the other months. The average daytime temperature is around 55°F (13°C) in winter and 80°F (27°C) in summer. In northern areas of Alum Chine, Durley Chine, and Sunshine Coast, the climate is one of Humid Subtropical. This means that average temperatures are high in summer and cool (not cold) in winter, with rainfall remaining similar year-round. Precipitation falls almost exclusively as rain. The average precipitation is around 2 to 4 inches per month year-round. The average daytime temperature is around 68°F (20°C) in winter and 86°F (30°C) in summer. In southern areas of Alum Chine, Durley Chine, and Sunshine Coast, the climate is one of Tropical Wet and Dry. This means that average temperatures are very high constantly all year round, and rainfall is extremely high in winter (monsoon or rainy season) and only negligible in summer (dry season). Precipitation falls almost exclusively as rain. The average precipitation is around 15 to 25 inches per month between November and March, and only a negligible amount in other months. The average daytime temperature is around 100°F (38°C) year-round. Weather extremes *Highest temperature: 123°F (51°C), Alum Chine, 15 July 2012 *Lowest temperature: -27°F (-33°C), atop Mount Leeds, 18 January 2012 *Highest rainfall in a month: 49 inches, Alum Chine, February 2008 *Highest rainfall in a day: 17 inches, Alum Chine, 18 February 2008 *Deepest snow depth: 213cm (7 feet), atop Mount Leeds, 24 January 2012 *Highest wind gust: 301mph, atop Mount Meridian, 13 September 2011 Subdivisions The Republic of Leeds is split into two regions - Inner Leeds and Outer Leeds. The Inner Leeds region is broken down into 8 suburbs - Alum Chine, Clearwater, Cola Hills, Downtown Leeds, Durley Chine, Pine Forest, Saltburn Heights, and Sunshine Coast. Each of these suburbs are further broken down into 4 constituencies each - North, South, East, and West Name (except Clearwater, which only has North and South, and Sunshine Coast, where what would be "South Sunshine Coast" is actually called Cocoa). The term "constituency" is only generally used during elections; when referring to where something is, people usually say what suburb it is in as opposed to which constituency. The Outer Leeds region does not have suburbs - it is broken down straight into 4 constituencies; Cardano, Diplomatic City, Raeburnfield, and San Costa. Transport Leeds is served by a large airport, a smaller airport, and many airline routes operated by Leeds Airlines, many bus routes operated by Leeds Buses, two railway lines operated by Leeds Railways, and boat and ferry services operated by Leeds Ferries. Leeds Coaches operate long-distance coach services to areas all over the United Kingdom and Ireland from the brand new Leeds coach station. All of these companies are subsidaries of Leeds' largest company, Leeds City Transport. Industries Leeds has many industries, including the fruit industry, mining industry, fishing industry, tourism industry, bug-catching industry, oil and natural gas industry, and the construction industry.